Yorkshire Water CEO Richard Flint dedicates £56m to renewable energy

Monday, 29 September 2014 12:44

Luke

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Following a £56 million investment in treatment sites, Yorkshire Water hasincreased its renewable energy generation by 80 per cent.

The substantial improvement is not only helping the company to generate an expected 75 gigawatt hours this yearalone, but will reduce itscarbon footprint by nearly 15,000 tonnes — that’s enough gas to inflate over 3,000 hot-air balloons.

As well as dedicating £33 million and £23 million respectively to Esholt waste water treatment works in Bradford and Blackburn Meadows treatment works in Sheffield, significant sums have also been spent improving facilities at other sites.

Richard Flint, Yorkshire Water CEO, said: “This is a big step in the right direction for us; not only are we reducing our impact on the environment but also cutting down on power costs at the same time. “Our investment in state-of-the-art sites like Blackburn Meadows and Esholt will also stand us in good stead for decades to come.”

The green move is partially caused by the increased volume of sludge now processed by Yorkshire Water’s top 11 sites. A staggering 97,000 tonnes has passed through its facilities so far this year, an increase of 48 per cent on last year. The renewable energy is predominantly down to the company’s newly captured biofuel, created by extracting and treating methane gas as the sludge is processed.

Thanks to upgrades to settlement tanks and the screens used to remove objects from the waste that arrives at site, the incineration of sludge has also been further reduced. This saving is similarly echoed across the overall business as the cost of powering sites across the region declines.